Preview: Yankees at Orioles

September 08, 2013|Reuters

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Preview: Yankees at Orioles

The New York Yankees look to snap a five-game losing streak at Camden Yards when they begin a crucial 10-game road trip against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. The teams are locked in a tight battle for the second American League wild card, with Baltimore and Cleveland both two games behind Tampa Bay and the Yankees trailing the Rays by 2 1/2 contests. New York avoided a four-game sweep by the Boston Red Sox with a dramatic win on Sunday, while Baltimore's three-game winning streak was snapped by the Chicago White Sox.

An injury to Derek Jeter's surgically repaired left ankle will force him to miss his second straight game Monday, but New York's captain is hoping to return later this week. The Orioles hit eight solo home runs during their four-game series with Chicago over the weekend, but they're 5-for-54 (.093) with runners in scoring position over the last six contests. The series features the top two closers in the American League in Baltimore's Jim Johnson (42 saves) and the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, who has 41 saves in his final season.

Sabathia has won four of his last five starts despite posting a 5.58 ERA during that stretch. He's coming off an impressive outing against the White Sox on Wednesday, when he yielded three runs over 7 1/3 innings. Adam Jones is 16-for-53 (.302) with three home runs against the 33-year-old, who is 18-5 with a 3.33 ERA in 29 career starts against Baltimore.

Tillman looks to rebound from a poor outing on Tuesday, when he walked five batters and surrendered four runs over 5 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old has been tough to beat at Camden Yards, where he is 7-3 with a 4.18 ERA in 15 starts. Robinson Cano is 11-for-22 with two homers against Tillman, who is 3-4 with a 7.43 ERA in nine career turns against the Yankees.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees C Chris Stewart left Sunday's game with a left foot contusion and is listed as day-to-day.

2. Rookie OF Henry Urrutia will not accompany the Orioles when they visit Toronto for a three-game series on Sept. 13-15 because of work visa issues.

3. The Yankees are 15-2 since Aug. 11 when hitting at least one home run.